Our nationwide exercises aimed at ensuring peaceful yuletide – Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai said the several Army exercises currently ongoing across the country were deliberately timed to ensure criminal elements don’t have a field day during the Yuletide.

General Buratai stated this while declaring open a Two-day Civil-Media-Military-Relations Summit For South East Zone at the Headquarters 82 Division Auditorium, Abakaliki Road, Enugu.

“The exercises are part of routine activities scheduled in Nigerian Army activities at this time of the year.

“The period carefully chosen to coincide with yuletide season when there s upsurge in criminal activities.

“The perpetration of the exercises offers opportunities to the troops to deal with perpetrators in real time and get in touch with communities through outreaches like sanitation, health and others to win their hearts to the support of the exercises.

“Our brothers, the Ndigbo in diaspora dread coming home during the Yuletide because some are kidnapped and huge ransoms paid before they are released,” he said.

Represented by the Chief of Training and Operations Army, Major General E.O. Udoh, the Army chief said the summit is being held in line with the desire of the Army to keep the public informed on appreciation of Nigerian Army exercises conducted in the country especially in the South East Zone.

“It is my hope that the media will continue to properly inform the public as it relates to our routine exercises across the country which are currently going on simultaneously.

“It could be recalled that during third edition of Python Dance 3, when some were against it, many came and supported it because it allowed those in diaspora come home and celebrate festivities in peace.

“I am aware that there is a team of seasoned public relations practitioners who would deliver lectures at this summit,” he added.

He thanked the Enugu State Governor, Rt. Honourable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the acting GOC 82 Division and acting Army Public Relations acting Director, Colonel Sagir Musa for making the summit possible.

“I urge you to feel free to offer ideas that would improve our roles. Feel free to offer suggestions and ideas,” he urged.